When different kinds of palletized loads and articles are wrapped in film material with wrapping machines, some loads and articles require corner protectors to be added on the corners of the load to further protect the wrapped load. The corner protectors are generally set on vertically extending corners of the palletized loads and articles to be wrapped usually before or during the wrapping process. This way the wrapped film secures and keeps the corner protectors in place.
The corner protectors are generally made of paper or paperboard material that is generally pre-folded so as to define a pair of surfaces that meet at an angle. The inner surfaces of the corner protectors are set against the load.
Certain known apparatuses for setting corner protectors on a load to be wrapped that are used with wrapping machines that do not rotate the load generally comprise in each corner area of the load one or more magazines for storing and supplying corner protectors, and a pick-up or transfer mechanism for removing a corner protector from the magazine and transferring the corner protector to the corner of the load. One example of this type of apparatus is disclosed in European Patent No. EP 1 033 305 B1.
International Application Publication No. WO/2012/027705 discloses a corner post application system, which comprises at each of the four corners of the load to be enveloped a swing arm, an application arm coupled to the swing arm, and a controller. The controller rotates the swing arm about a vertical pivot axis until a corner post held by a corner post gripper is aligned with adjacent sides that define a corner of the load. The controller thereafter stops rotation of the swing arm and moves the application arm linearly toward the corner of the load until the corner post comes in contact with adjacent sides of the load.
One problem with these prior art corner protector setting machines is that they require four separate arrangements, one for each corner of the palletized non-rotatable load, to set the corner protectors to each corner prior to or during the wrapping process. This makes these prior art machines complex and costly.